Do you know where this is?

Sunday

Nov 3, 2013 at 6:00 AMNov 4, 2013 at 5:20 AM

This Hudson dealership in Worcester, photographed about 1957, was about to become something of a rarity. That was the year American Motors ceased to make the brand it had acquired — which had been making cars since 1909 — and no more new Hudsons were made or sold.

Like many large corporations, the Hudson company had had its ups and downs, twists and turns.

Begun in Detroit (of course) and named for a businessman who put up some capital and let them name the company — and its first cars — after him, the Hudson Motor Car Co. merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corp. to form American Motors.

Soon after this photo was taken, AMC president George Romney (does his name sound familiar?) decided to try to make the company competitive with the other large car manufacturers, and stopped making big Hudsons. AMC was eventually purchased by Chrysler.

Anyone who doesn't remember a Hudson is likely to remember a Nash Rambler.

This particular dealership was also home to a dealership owned by the Henley-Kimball Co., which owned several other dealerships in Massachusetts as well over the years.

In 1957, it was one of about 40,000 new-car dealerships around the United States, down from more than 47,000 in the early 1950s. There are about 17,000 today.

The building that housed cars and their salespeople kept its mission for many years, and still stands.

Hint: The street where this dealership was located was a great place to park.